The Story of the "Photo Shoot"

 This is how it all started: Zerberts.






WTF... We do this to ourselves every friggin' year! We get the kids some nice Christmas Jammies (but not like these Christmas Jammies). Then pose them in front of the tree and snap some adorably cute photos to send out to all our friends (or to at least post to Facebook for our friends to download to their own computer). What a nightmare!

First, the Christmas Jammies were not to be found this year. We got a great pair for the 2 year old... Red ones with penguins. Apparently they don't make cute jammies for 6 year olds. So he's wearing fleece jammies with "Official Ball Club" and a skull and cross bones. Not exactly Christmas. But fleece will have to be the Christmas part.

Now for the posing. This is where it got interesting. It's totally a 2 person job. One to take the shots and one to keep their attention and give instructions. More people would probably be better.

So for every shot like this

 We also got duel nostril picking






Or upside down

Or one kicking the other

 At first we wanted to just try them sitting next to each other. They were having trouble sitting still.

Heck, we just having trouble getting them to sit up!







There are currently 52 pictures in our Christmas 2013 photo album. I'm not sure how many we deleted - at least another 20. Once we figured out how to get the 2 year old to cooperate things went a bit smoother. He's a ham for slapstick comedy. All I had to was whack myself with a paper tube and use that same tube to make fart noises. "Ewww. I pooped my pants" would send them in hysterical fits of laughter.

Eventually, we got something acceptable.

Merry Christmas.
From our zoo to yours!

Woody's Watching!

Christmas time is here again. I love it. This year we will have a white Christmas! Since moving to Canada 4 years ago, a white Christmas has been iffy. Weird, eh? When you think of Canada you usually think snow. Year round snow like permafrost. Igloos. Cold. Oh, there's snow here, don't get me wrong. But sometimes it doesn't come until after Christmas.

Anyway, this is my favorite time of year. The lights, decorations, the cheer, the excitement, the food... it's glorious! And with 2 kids I can be the kid I am with them. I love the snow! Let's go sledding, build a snowman, have a snowball fight! Let's build an igloo (no, we're going to live in it). I love to go running in it. It's amazingly quiet. And now, to add to the excitement of snow and counting down to Christmas, we have Woody, our Elf on the Shelf.

I've read many statuses about dreading this little "watcher". I forgot to move him! The kids touched him! I'm not that motivated to make him do silly things! Well, I love ours as much as the kids do. It's fun coming up with ideas or trying out ideas discovered elsewhere. To see the kids faces when they find him every morning is totally worth it. I know, I know... it's just one more lie we are telling the kids. First Santa, now this. But I'm guessing as the kids grow (even into teenagers one day), we will continue to have Woody around. One day they won't believe. One day they will know without a doubt about Woody's secret... he's not real.

But, to we who believe and dream, he is real. Like the Velveteen Rabbit. Like Buzz and Woody. Therefore, Woody the Shelf Elf is going to be around for a long time. And one day it'll be their turn to hide Woody. One day they'll be allowed to be in charge of the nice and naughty list we currently use. One day. But not today. Today, Woody still has the magic of Christmas, reminding us that no matter how excited, how tired, how tempted, we still need to be good. And come Christmas Eve, we will be allowed to touch Woody because Santa is coming to pick him up when he drops off presents. We will hug Woody good night and bid him farewell until next December 1st. In the morn, amid the excitement of presents and wrapping paper will be a touch of sadness that Woody is not there to share the Joy with us. I assume this to be true for the kids for it's certainly true for me.

Now my inner child wants a mint chocolate chip cookie that my outer adult made. He's been a good boy today so he gets two.

Puddle Jumpers and Big Butts

How many of us could simply walk by this puddle without noticing its full potential? Oh you may notice it enough to avoid it, sure. Don't want to get your feet wet and all. Could you walk through it? Gently wade into it to watch the ripples wash outward, being careful that it doesn't crest the rubber sole of your shoe to soak your socks. Not me. Not my kids.

There's no grace here. There's no tiptoeing gently. This puddle needs to be disturbed and we'll do it the best way we know how:

                                                                   JUMP!

We will splash this puddle right back to where it came from. It'll be like the front row seats at an orca show at Sea World. This puddle (and all puddles) weas meant for jumping in as sure as snow is for snowmen. Coop could be walking hand in with me as innocent as you please. The moment he spots a puddle he starts tugging and pulling and if I don't let go, he goes boneless. He'll stay out of the puddle if I tell him "no water". However, he must throw at least 1 rock into. If he misses, he'll have to try again. Rhy is the same. He gravitates to puddles like the Death Star tractor beam! And today was no different. I took him to school this rainy, Tuesday morning. On the way into the building he stomped in a puddle. It wouldn't have been so bad if his pants were tucked into his boots. But no, they were hanging out and got soaked. Of course, I fussed at him because now he's in wet pants until they dry. At recess, the puddle tractor beam was in effect again. He must have found a puddle to stomp/jump/play in and was apparently told to stay out of it. He did. Until lunch time. Back outside after lunch that puddle called to him yet again! He must have jumped in it this time because he got some other kids wet. He was called to the office for a talkin' to. Rhy's teacher made him tell me about it after school and I made him tell mom when we got home. He lost a few privileges this evening. Not because he was jumping in puddles. Puddle jumping is awesome fun. But because he was told not to do something and he did it anyway and he got others wet in the process. I know I'll re-post this story in 4 years when Coop does the exact same thing.

Who for some reason and we have yet to figure out where or why calls the buttons and drawstrings on pants "Big Butts". If the drawstring on his pants is on the outside he'll tell us "my big butt's hangin' out". Unless he's naked. If he's naked and you ask him where his big butt is he'll put his hands on the floor and stick his butt in the air as high as his little legs will let him. Think of that the next time you get dressed...

A Heart Lesson and a Check-up

Heart lesson: the two top "chambers" are  the left and right atrium. The bottom "chambers" are the left and right ventricles. The lines separating the atrium from ventricles are the Mitral valve and Tricuspid valve. Those valves open and close to let blood flow through as the heart beats and pumps it through. Or at least that's how I understand it. I'm not a doctor.

This isn't Rhy's heart. But this is what Rhy's heart looks like on an echo scan. You can clearly see the   valves separating the atrium from the ventricles. Rhy's doctors are keeping an eye on the tricuspid and mitral valves because there some regurgitation. This simply means that the valves aren't closing completely. Therefore, some blood flows backward into his heart. However, what they are mostly concerned with is his aorta and pulmonary artery. They are making sure they are not narrowing, which is something that can happen after the surgery that he did at 5 days old. But just like he has for the last 6 years, he rocked his cardio check-up! The regurgitation is minimal and always has been. The aorta and pulmonary artery haven't narrowed. He is thriving, now standing at 3' 11" tall and  61 pounds. We found all this out yesterday from his cardiologist at the IWK... Dr. Kenny Wong (joined yesterday by Dr. Matthew Woo).  Dr. Wong was impressed enough that he doesn't need to see him again for 2 years! For the last 3 years we visited Dr. Wong once a year for Rhy's check up. Rhylan always amazes me while we're there. The child who is normally loud and rambunctious as most boys are (noise with dirt as we typically describe them) was calm, quiet and patient while they did his EKG and again during the echo. Thank you Rhy! I kind of liked his yearly check ups. We always used them as an excuse to get out of town and visit family we don't get to see often. Guess we'll have to find a new excuse... Daddy needs new running shoes? Mommy wants to go to the K-cup store?

On another note, I was terrified thinking about how Cooper would behave during Rhy's EKG and Echo. I was relieved that he wanted to be held while we were in the patient room for the EKG. He watched with curiosity what they were doing to his big "bubby". Then in the patient room for the echo, they turned the lights down to see the monitor better. Cooper took that as his cue to snuggle in and fall asleep in my arms. Whew. I got to watch the whole thing! I was afraid Cooper would get restless and have to go run and play and I would miss the best part. Thank you Cooper!

The 2 and a half hour night time drive home with 2 sick kids (the oldest with a bad cold and the youngest with a fever) is a story for another blog.

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treat! Happy Halloween!
Accompanied by Super Mario and Jake - The Neverland Pirate, we went off in search of tricks and treats. We started in Louisdale and visited 3 special places there. Then it was back into town for a quick supper and off to visit some more around the Hawk. We did well... a large recycling bag is 1/2 full! I say we because of the candy tax, of course. All that gas and time to take them out will cost them chips and chocolate. And as tempting as it is, we probably won't pull the Jimmy Kimmel trick. I am seriously impressed by the effort some put into handing out candy to strangers. Special treat bags for kids they know. Unique gifts like a bird house. And the tons of chips and chocolate. We don't get many kids in our corner of town. The house to candy ratio isn't all that great. But we visited the houses on our street and managed to gather a decent load! We had Periwinkle join us on our trip up our street and Rhy and Coop were very excited to have her join us.

I want to apologize for anyone's house we didn't make it to. The kids wanted to go to EVERY house, of course. But by 7:00 I was about to make our wee little pirate walk the plank and Super Mario had lost his star power. Now to keep them from eating all today.

P.S. Yes, I sent my minions kids out in costume to collect candy for me.

G G G Geocaching!

In December of 2004 I somehow stumbled on to this outdoor "game" called Geocaching on the internet. My parents had given me a small handheld GPS for Christmas the year before and I had still not found any practical use for it. That all changed when I discovered that Geocaching combines my inner ninja geek with my love of hiking and the outdoors and games. 9 years later I have my geowifey and 2 geokids to join me! There are over 2.1 million geocaches hidden worldwide and all though we have only found 77 of them in 9 years, we love it. We've been through 3 GPS's (on our 4th and hopefully last). Last summer I sort of kind of might have lost a GPS. After waiting a year, I got one for my birthday. We're back in the Geocaching world! We've found 4 since. I took Rhylan out to find one at the windmills. There was one in Point Tupper we looked for but couldn't find it. So we went home and got Wifey. Of course, she found it (she always does). Rhylan found the next one under a tree. Yesterday, I got bored so I took Cooper for a hike with intention of finding a cache. I calculated the hike to the cache to be about 2 miles. I didn't calculate that I'd only be moving at 2.5 miles an hour! I put Coop in his backpack, hoisted him on to my back and we set off. 15 minutes into the hike and I feel him twitch (li'l bugger fell asleep!). He slept while I hiked. Excellent combo. He woke a 1/2 hour later, just a few minutes before we got the cache. We looked around for a bit before finding it in a log. We signed the log book in to to prove we were there and then headed for home. All total, it was a 2 hour hike.

Today, Rhylan wanted to go. So we went (duh). We brought Cooper with us (in the backpack again). I thought it was going to be an easy hike in (an ATV trail like yesterday). Nope.. it was an unmarked, barely visible single track. We made it, but not without a few guess. That's where GPS came in handy... It showed us which direction to walk and mostly kept us on track. And it was hot today, too. Rhylan complained of being hot, needing a drink, wanting to carry a stick to fight off wild animals and enemies. But every time I asked him if he wanted to go home he answer with a definitive "no". So we kept walking. We didn't find the geocache today. It is buried under some rocks and we couldn't figure out which rock it was under (there were LOTS). Frustrated, we headed for home. But geocaching isn't always about the finds. It's about the journey. No matter how much Rhylan complains, he'd rather be geocaching. And Cooper loves the ride!

*Next blog will be about the rules taught while hiking... Like Rule number 3) Don't drink stagnant water.

Happy Anniversary!

It's July 1st again! Happy Anniversary babe... the love of my life, the mother of my children, the brains of the house. It's our 8th anniversary. I'd like take her bowling. Or the Speedway to watch a race. But it's also Canada Day so I'll take her to the free pancake breakfast over at St. Mark's church and then to Granville Green for a free concert and hotdogs and cake.

Which gets me thinking... there's something traditional for every year!
1st Anniversary is paper. That's easy. Walmart has reams of paper. I could splurge on the good stuff and get card stock. Or perhaps a magazine subscription (Sports Illustrated).
2nd Anniversary is cotton. Looking back I could have given pure cotton, in spherical form. There's so much you can do with cotton balls. I bet I could get a giant bag of them at Costco.
3rd Anniversary is leather. Wallet? Nah, she has one already. A Porsche has leather seats, so that isn't happening. So I guess it'll be Assless chaps, a riding crop and a leather bound 50 Shades of Grey. Win, win!
4th Anniversary is linen or silk. Silk sheets? No thanks, we'll slide of out bed. If I could afford it, I'd get her silky skin. I think I need to go check the linen closet.
5th Anniversary is wood. I gave her my last name.... that one's covered. We could have gone to Bridgeville, De to see the trebuchets of Punkin Chunkin! (I told her when we win the lottery, we're going there first)
6th Anniversary is iron. I'll take her golfing. Nope, can't afford that. Guess we'll just go to the driving range. You know what else comes in iron? Skillets.
7th Anniversary is wool and copper. Well we do live in Canada so some wool would handy. I hate mowing and sheep eat grass and wool comes from sheep. She's getting a sheep. Maybe a lot of them so when she can't sleep she can go count them. Pennies are copper, so that one's a freebie. I'll give her a penny for my thoughts. Won't take long.
8th Anniversary is bronze. That's today! I'd like to get her a little bronze key... "key to my heart" but I don't know where to find one. A tan is bronze. But I can't afford to send her to the tanning booth. Maybe the Walmart has some spray on tan. If not, bronze Rusoleum will have to do.
9th Anniversary is pottery. Really, she'll have spent 9 years with me and she gets a clay pot? Okie dokie... I'll fill with some of my favorite ice cream.
10th Anniversary is tin/aluminum. A case of Coca Cola should work. She doesn't drink Coke so she can the empty cans for refunding. 24 cans times a nickle for each can is an easy buck 20 in her pocket!

The list goes on and on and on... steel (argh argh argh), silk (again), lace (whoo hoo!), Ivory (soap? or elephants?), crystal (like The Dark Crystal? or Crystal Palace?) Those are a long time away, I've got lots of time to plan those!

Happy bronze anniversary, babe! Love you!

How to Bathe Otters

When I titled this "How to Bathe Otters" what I really meant was Shamoo. I would get less wet. Actually, what I really meant was "How to Bathe Two Otters Kids† at the Same Time".
  † Ages 2-6

I like to bathe them together for two reasons.
1) Sometimes it saves time.
2) Sometimes it saves water.
3) They have fun splashing playing together.
4) Photos to use as blackmail when they're teens.


Here's how to do it:

First you need to wash out the tub. They're filthy enough; they don't need the added dirt that's already sitting on the bottom of the tub from when you took your shower. If your otters are slow to undress, clean the tub with a tub cleaner and rinse well. If you have kids like mine and undress as fast as a cat comes when you shake the treat bag then a good rinse with the hottest tap water possible will suffice. Invariably, they will be standing at the edge of the tub doing the "Running Man" waiting to get it.

Second, make sure they use the potty BEFORE getting in the tub. I suggest not plugging the tub until they are in it and seated just to make sure. If peeing in the pool grosses you out, peeing in the tub could give you the dry heaves.

Once your otters are in and the tub is plugged, you should try to get them to sit. Though you might as well talk to the wall, it will give you the "I told you so" option when one of them does fall.

Now that the tub is filling and your kiddies are jumping, rolling, splashing and generally having a grand ol' time, it's time to decide how much water they get. If it's too shallow you won't have enough to clean them. If it's too deep you won't have time to clean the floor (and the walls, and windows and anything else they drench). I aim for their belly buttons or a bit less.

Third, remove your shirt. You'll have to change it anyway by the time they're through, so you might as well take it off now and save yourself the hassle. Make sure it is 250-500 feet from the bathroom.

Now for the cleaning phase. I wish you luck. They will not lay or stand still so be prepared to hit a moving target. Of course, while you are cleaning one kid the other will be flooding the bathroom playing. I was watching a Formula One race one afternoon and watched the pit crew change all four tires and fuel up in less than four seconds. I try to wash faster than that. Hair, face, belly, back, arms, legs, feet, boy parts and bum. Boom! Done one kid before the other has gotten wet! Don't worry if  the tub water suddenly looks like this... they sure won't. Repeat the cleansing cycle for the other kid.

Pull the plug. If you're lucky, the kids haven't washed down the drain. Or perhaps at this point, you would be luckier if they did?

Rinse your otters from head to toe with clean water. I use water as cold as the tap can go. They squeal and laugh and dance and have nowhere to go. They really do love "The Cold Water Game". I trick them with one more cup of water that is warm but they think will be cold and they say "Ahhhh" then get out, get wrapped in a towel and shipped off to bed.

The Visitors

•  Rhylan had no idea Nana and Pop Pop were coming for a visit. As you can see, he was just a little bit excited. He jumped off the bus! The bus driver was about to say something to him about that. Then he realized what was happening. I was so happy we could surprise because SO many times I just wanted to tell him (or I nearly slipped and almost accidentally told him).

• They brought birthday gifts with them. Rhy got his a bit early since his birthday is in July. He went nuts when he saw his Skylanders bike. He has a 12" bike he can ride just fine. He has a 20" bike that was given to him as a hand me down from our "across the street neighbor". But it's too big for him. His Skylanders bike is 16" and perfect. It took him a few days to get used to it. He had to ride his little bike for a bit then ride the new one to build his confidence. Also, his training wheels were a hindrance. Once we took them off, off he went! 

•  We got in a couple games of Marbles. Girls 1; Boys 1. It don't mean boo 'till you win two. It still don't mean boo.

Me and My Three Dads

• We spent Sunday at the Cottage on the lake. It was Father's Day and we were celebrating Cooper's 2nd birthday a day early. It was quite a feast... burgers, sausages, mussels, lobster, etc...  Then there was ice cream cake for dessert! Nom nom nom.

•  Rhy learned to climb tree. Now we can't keep him out of it. Especially since I showed him he can climb nearly to the top!
• Coop is Nana's buddy. She would ask him "Are you Nana's buddy?" He'd repeat "Nana's buddy". She's then ask him "Are you Nana's Sugar-pie?" And he would tell her "No sugar-pie" every time! We have no idea what he has against sugar-pie, but he wanted no part of it.

Nana and Rhy w/Greasy Hands

•  Nana and Rhylan made bread. He helped dump in the ingredients and knead the bread. Before they began kneading though, they slathered their hands with vegetable shortening. It was definitely Rhy's favorite part. Even better: the bread turned out AWESOME!

•  Rhylan was so excited to have Nana and Pop Pop here. However, that was in part because they drove up in their Explorer. It has a DVD player in it. Nanny and Pop live three houses up the road from us. Rhylan wanted to drive to their house so he could watch a movie on the way! Needless to say, we all chuckled at that.

Yay! It's My Birthday!

•  Cooper's birthday was on Monday. It was great having my parents here for it. He also had some neighbor friends over and everyone had a blast! Pizza and Superstore cupcake cake!

• My parents had typical Cape Breton weather. They were here for 6 days and it rained for three of them! One day it was rainy and sunny at the same time. Although they live in Maryland and it gets 27-35 degrees C (80- 95+) our 18C felt the same. The sun is hotter up here. The farther north you go, the closer to the sun you get or something!

My Reading Buddies

They catch me reading all the time. It's about time I caught them. If I've nothing else as a parent, I've at least taught them to read (well, it's a work in progress and it's progressing very quickly). Rhylan is about to turn 6, just about finished his first year of school and he's reading books at the 2nd and 3rd grade level. It amazes me how many words he knows. He's about to finish his 2nd Magic Treehouse book. He read them cover to cover. He's a sponge! Cooper (is a week from turning 2) is following in his footsteps. He has his favorite Thomas's ABC book and Freight Train board book. He's got them memorized. He knows all his letters (at least he does in his Thomas the Tank Engine book) and he has Freight Train memorized. When life seems too overwhelmed, when he's over-stimulated we escape to his room to read some books so he can pull himself back together. Rhy was like that, too. Yesterday, Rhylan asked if we could go to the library after school today. Be still my heart! He wanted "Harold and the Purple Crayon" (it's classified as "too easy" for him, but hey, it's a great book about a boy with an awesome imagination!). He also found another favorite "The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man". It's also one of my favorite. Very clever book.

Okay, I'm done bragging now. I just wanted to say that I've taught/am teaching my kids to read.
Start early, but it's never too late.

Big Fans and Frisbee Golf

So I took Cooper out for a run today... no, not like I would a K9. He was in his jogging stroller. It was our usual 10k out and back. He loves it because he gets to see train tracks, trains, and trucks and "big fans" (I did not tell him to call them that... he came up with that on his own!). Well today it was particularly windy. Windier than usual here on Cape Breton Island, anyway. All afternoon after the run he kept looking outside and telling me "Windy." "Big fan." I can only assume he's letting me know it's windy because someone turned the big fans on. When his mom got home from work I got him to tell her what it's like outside and right on cue he told her "windy". I asked him why it's so windy and as if we rehearsed it he told her "big fan".  Needless to say we both got a good chuckle out of that.

On another note... I was outside playing with Rhylan and he tossed me a Frisbee. So, of course, I tossed it back to him. He nearly caught it and his excitement took over from there. He tried and he tried and he tried until he finally caught it (I showed how catch it "alligator style" by clapping his hands together). He was so proud of himself. Since he was so excited to play Frisbee I decided to teach him to play Frisbee Golf. He's hooked. We'd pick an object in our backyard and start throwing the Frisbee to see who could hit said object with the fewest throws... the shed, a tree, a power pole, random pipes sticking out of the ground, swing set/slide. Not only did he love it but it saved me from having to chase his Frisbee on every errant throw! Win, win!

Lastly, I've got to give a shout out to my friend Gabe. I didn't even know he was blogging! He's on his way to Africa on a big boat (I'm presuming he's NOT looking for Curious George OR the Lost Temple of Zagawa). But after reading his blog and wondering how he got the layout and design he has (I really liked it) I finally figured out how to change my own! Thanks Gabe and happy travels!

Count Down to Mom and Dad's Visit!

ONLINE COUNTDOWN

10 Reasons Why My Sons are Laughing

So I wrote about situations that will cause Cooper to cry. He's 22 months. I'll forgive him for now. If he's still like that when he's 18 we'll have a chat. But he's not always like that. 90% of the time he's a happy baby, like his big "bubba" Rhylan. So in all fairness I will write about the things that make them laugh...

1) Tickling. They both are absolutely ticklish on every part of their body. And they love to be tickled.

2) Peek-a-boo. I put a sheet or blanket over them then lift it up quickly, holler BOO and let it settle down over them again and repeat. The static makes their hair stand on end.

3) Snark. The run laughing from the Snark. It's just a goofy sound that Wifey taught me (and she learned it from her brother Kevin). The best I can describe is a loud, short snore. That sound coupled with pinchy tickle fingers sends them running and laughing.

4) The tub. Pretty much anything to do with water - splashing, pouring, spraying, dunking, etc... I left Cooper in the tub for 12 seconds on evening. Upon returning, but before entering, I hear water pouring on the floor then hysterical laughter... right from toes kind of laugh. I enter to see him using the big blue pitcher to pour his bath water onto the bathmat. It took 4 bath towels to clean the water off the floor.

5) Trampolining. They both love the trampoline. They both laugh like crazy when they get "popcorned". They sit (or lay) and I bounce them. Or running. They run with arms stretched backwards like F-14 Tomcat wings until they fall down.

6) Spinning. They hold my hands standing facing me then I spin. As soon as their feet leave the ground they start laughing. Of course, when I stop spinning and we finish walking like we're drunk they ask for more more more.

7) In the tub, Rhylan will get a mouth full of water and spit it at Cooper. Usually it gets him on his chest or belly. Sometimes Cooper gets a face full. Either way he'll laugh hysterically. Losing his breath kind of laugh. We also play the "Cold Water Game". I get a cup full of cold water (as cold as the tap can make it) and start spilling it on them. The scramble to get out of the way. It hits them and they squeal with laughter.

8) Farts. They're boys (but even if they were girls), farts are funny. Hilarity is measured by aroma... the stinkier/louder/longer it is, the funnier it is.

9) Absolutely ridiculous things... banging on a door to keep it from closing, smashing dinkies (matchbox cars) together, jumping on the bed, running down a hill while saying "ahhhhh" so their voice bounces... I suppose all things kids should find funny!

10) Okay, so number 10 isn't about them. It's about what Cooper does that makes me laugh.






Laughter is the BEST medicine!

20 Reasons Why My Son's Crying?

I saw this once and thought it was hilarious. Since imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery, I thought I'd make my own...

1) He wants to go outside

2) It's time to come inside for supper.

3) He's not allowed to have Cheesies (I was in the process of making supper).

4) Because I'm changing his diaper.

5) I put his milk in the wrong cup.

6) I have no idea why.

7) The garbage truck won't drive by our house (it comes on Tuesdays and it's now Wednesday).

8) His banana broke in half.

9) I won't read "Toolbox Trouble" until he gets his pajamas on.

10) The T.V. is on.

11) I'm snuggling him on the couch instead off the puff (giant beanbag chair filled with shredded        
      foam)

12) I'm upstairs or in the bathroom and didn't bring him with me.

13) He is in the barbershop to get his haircut.

14) He's not allowed to put shoes in the hamper.

15) I won't let him flush a whole roll of toilet paper.

16) I tried to help him with his coat, shoes or pants (putting on or taking off)

17) I put ketchup on his hamburger.

18) He has to hold my hand while walking across the street.

19) His Cozy Coupe isn't cooperating (fell over, got stuck, etc..)

20) I helped him out of his high chair when he wanted mom to help.

20 Reasons Why My Son's Laughing soon to follow!

Things I want to Teach my Sons

Things I want to teach my sons...

1) Treat people kindly.
Not just girls/women, but treat everyone with respect, whether they deserve it or not. I hope I can teach them to help those in need as best they can. Offer to lend a hand, help out. Hold the door, clean a mess (that one will be tough). Don't be rude. Share. Be accepting of everyone. This is a diverse world and it takes all kinds to make it go 'round.

2) Hard work will get you farther than the short cut.
Work hard, even if no one is watching. If you're going to do something you might as well make it worthwhile. Take the extra time to do it right. A lot of times, if you rush through something in a hurry to get it done, it gets done wrong and you (or someone else) will have to do it again. Do it right the first time. In school, work hard to get the best grades you can get. So you're in Primary (kindergarten), not ready for university? Without a good foundation the whole structure is worthless. Work hard and make it a habit.

3) Life isn't always fair.
Some people have all the luck. But if you've worked hard (see #2) the luck will come to you. Eventually. 

4) Sportsmanship 
 Play to win, but if you lose that's okay, too. Winning is fun, losing is educational. Congratulate the winning person/team for a good game, and understand you can't win every time, someone has to lose. It's a game and about having fun. If it's no longer fun, it's no longer a game.

5) Love science - ask questions, find answers, discover more questions.
The great thing about science is that if you have a question and set out to find the answer either through research or experimentation, you're bound to come out of it with more questions than had at the start. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to find the answers. Never stop learning.

6) How to dance.
HAHAHAHAHA Never mind... I'll get mom to teach them this one. I've got the rhythm of  a June Bug. I can do the 8th grade shuffle pretty good though. But I dance anyway.

7) How to cook
Not just hotdogs. Real food. Hamburger, chicken, fish, steak, casseroles, veggies, spices. Canadian, American, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Korean (I need to work on those, myself!). Don't be afraid to try new foods. Or old foods in new ways. They will know how to use the settings on the stove, the difference between baking and broiling and how timing can be everything.

8) Be proud of what you do
"That is an awesome Lego tower you just built but your brother just knocked it over with one kick. " Create for the sake of creating. It'll only take a second to destroy something that took time and hard work, create anyway. The joy is in the creating. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Be proud of your accomplishments, no matter how big or small they are. But don't brag about them, others will notice without you having to say.

9) Believe in a "higher up"
Something can't come from nothing. This universe wasn't created from nothing. Believe in God wherever you find God, in church, in nature, in yourself.

Following Directions

Rhylan loves to go for a walk to the local corner store with his friend (a 14 year old girl who lives next door). This evening he asked if he could go while I was mowing the yard. Of course, I said yes. But I told him he wasn't allowed to get anything because he'd had his daily intake of junk already (Nanny and Pop had taken him to DQ for ice cream). He asked "what about a piece of gum?” I told him no, he wasn't to get anything. He wasn't happy, which meant he understood my direction.

A half hour later he returns with his friend and shows me the piece of gum he got from the store. I know he didn't take any money with him so I also know he got that quarter from his friend.

Here's my dilemma.
1) It's just a piece of gum. So what?
2) I told him not to get anything, yet he still did. Even if it was just a piece of gum.
3) He got money from his friend to get that piece of gum.
4) It was just a quarter.

I don't want to over react over a piece of gum. But I don't want to let it slide either because he did something I specifically told him not to. Also, he had to get money from his friend to get that gum. I know it was just a quarter and it was also just change left over from whatever she got herself. But I don't want him asking friends for money so he can buy himself stuff. Even if it is just a quarter. Even if it is just a piece of gum.

I was still mowing upon his return and I gave him a stern "I thought I told you NOT to get anything". I could tell he clearly understood my disappointment from his expression. Later, while I was helping him get ready for bed I explained to him that if he couldn't do as I asked he wouldn't be allowed to go with his friend any more. He knows I'm serious.

It's just a piece of gum.
I told him to get nothing, yet he still did. Is it too far of a leap to "I told you no drugs"?

What would you have done?

Different Kind of Dad

I like to think I'm a different kind of dad.
No, not better. Just different.
And different is good.

I love to be highly involved with our two li'l dudes. That's probably just the teacher in me.

Now, when I say "highly involved" I don't mean I'm with them, holding their hand, instructing them  every 8 seconds and protecting them from every danger.  I love playing with them and watching their imaginations take flight.  I love providing them with new things to learn and watching the "ah ha" moments. Of course, it's easier with Bang, he's only 22 months. He memorizes his picture books. He loves "Freight Train" by Donald Crews. He finishes the sentences and knows the colors. We're working on the counting part. But when Crash (5) reads a book and he can read assistant, experiment and other big words, I feel the same joy.

We play normal games like hide and seek and tag and with toys. The real fun comes when we make up a game. Then we get to make up the rules, too. We learned fast to make the rules fit our needs. If you're allowed to use your hands, then I'm allowed to use the pool noodle (I think that was from a variation of soccer). We jump on the trampoline. We go running. Crash can run a mile in 14 minutes (though he usually gets bored at a 1/2 mile). Bang walked a mile and three quarters.

I take Bang to playgroup. There's usually one other dad there. (Though I didn't go today because of work) 

So I'm involved. Whoopee.

I also love to cook. I try to find a new recipe at least once a week. It usually ends up being every other week, of course. But I try. Today I made :

Chicken and Biscuit Bake

It's a cross between potpie and dumplings. The kids loved it. Which is where I have to be careful. I tried a taco bake once... they wouldn't touch it because it was too spicy.  Otherwise, I'm proud of them. They eat their fruit and veggies. They actually ASK for them! Though Bang wouldn't eat much if we didn't mix into mashed potatoes - chicken, fish, burger, pork, veggies... all of it gets mixed in. 

I clean. Not thoroughly. If it needs a deep cleaning, then Wifey will have to do that :P (Love you, babe!). But I clean... sweep, vacuum, dishes, toys, the bathroom. Like the someecard® says, cleaning with kids is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos. 

I do laundry. I've even gotten a bit particular about it. Shirts need to be folded with the picture facing OUT (dear Wifey likes to fold them with the picture IN... and I don't complain because I'm thankful when she helps, but I do fix it).

I change poopy diapers. I wipe poopy bums.

I bathe the kids. I like to bathe them together. It seems to save time and it's more fun, though I'd get less wet if I just got in with them.

I put kids to bed.

I make lunches.

I do a lot. But it's not so much that I do it, as it is that I help do it. Wifey does all of this, too.